Every year, CES manages to bring thousands of exhibitors to Las Vegas, spreading them across the Las Vegas Convention Center and throughout hotels like Mandalay Bay, Sands Expo and The Mirage. For members of the media, the abundance of companies at the show makes the task of keeping up with every one of them extremely hard -- but it must be done. Exhibitors, on the other hand, have to reach out to journalists and host press conferences in hopes of getting valuable airtime for their product, whatever it may be. Naturally, due to the madness that is CES, smaller companies have to get creative to compete for attention with the tech giants of the world, such as Samsung, LG, Sony and more. And it helps tremendously if their product is, you know, actually good.

So, when we got an email with a subject line that said, "WakaWaka Brings Ebola To CES," we instantly took notice. According to recent statistics, Ebola is estimated to have infected more than 20,000 people worldwide, the majority of them in West Africa. To date, the deadly virus has taken roughly 8,000 lives. At first glance, you think, "Are they seriously using a disease for promotional purposes?" Indeed, the company behind it, WakaWaka, wasn't really bringing Ebola to CES, but that's quite a bold way to approach pitching a story to journalists and other CES attendees.Slideshow-258548

Toshiba was demoing its Virtual Fitting Room at CES this year. The premise is simple: Stand in front of a large display while your image is projected on it. Using a Kinect for motion tracking, Toshiba's software is able to superimpose various outfits onto your reflected self. Hold your right hand up to change outfits and your left to snap a selfie, which the software then throws up as a QR code so you can grab your pic. Typical of this type of virtual thing, the clothes tended to wiggle about and were a bit ill-fitting, but they were women's outfits, so we'll give them a break there. We can see practical applications for trying clothing combinations without having to use a dressing room if you're in a hurry, for example. Though, we don't think using it for sizing would be useful at all, which is a large part of a fitting room's job. Slideshow-258316

A Swiss Army knife and a Leatherman. Both of those items are capable of performing a number of tasks while remaining compact and easily packable. But what if the portable speaker that provides your campsite with tunes could do multiple things? Well, Braven's BRV-PRO can not only recharge your phone or tablet, but also its smattering of add-ons provide light, extend battery life, juice up the gadget with the sun's rays and more. The speaker is still fairly small despite its modular aspirations, so it won't take up much space in your backpack. If you splurge for the full collection of accessories though, the entire setup demands a slightly larger pocket, but they're all flat and should stow easily. Slideshow-258309

I initially wasn't going to bother writing a longer piece about Acer's new 15-inch Chromebook. I figured the last thing you wanted from me during the busiest week in tech news were hands-on photos of yet another laptop, especially when we already review so many same-y Chrome OS devices. Then it occurred to me: Although this is the first-ever 15-inch Chromebook, not to mention the largest, Acer never actually made a case for why it should exist, and it's a question that many of my peers at other tech publications don't seem to be asking. Does anyone need a notebook this big that basically just runs the Chrome browser? I belatedly spent some time with one to try and find out.Slideshow-258102

Since its introduction in 2013, Sennheiser's Momentum line headphones have added not only new color options, but on-ear and in-ear models, too. During that time, I've been quite impressed by the cans and their clear and balanced sound. At CES, wireless versions of the over-ear and on-ear gadgets made their debut, and when the news hit, I immediately wondered if the Momentum Wireless would be better than the original. After trying them out, I can confidently say that Sennheiser has made a good thing even better. Slideshow-258082

It's weird to think that a humble DIY store is making groundbreaking strides to innovate retail stores, but that's what Lowe's Innovation Labs was set up to do. The company unveiled two pretty neat concepts for the future of shops in the last few months: a robotic store assistant that patrols the aisles of an Orchard Supply in San Jose, and a virtual reality interior-decoration tool that's currently in operation in two stores in Toronto. Slideshow-258051

Knocking on wood is said to bring you luck. Those of a less fortunate disposition will be interested to know about Bang & Olufsen's new wireless home music system then. It's called "Moment" and features (among other things) a wooden touch-sensitive interface. It could be the luckiest HiFi you'll ever own. The curious device comes in two parts: the dock/base station, and a wireless controller. It's the latter that gets the wood treatment. As you can probably already tell, the Moment is typical Bang & Olufsen, in that it's not typical at all.Slideshow-258077

Gibson's fitness-minded headphones may get most of the attention here at CES, but venture inside the company's tent, and you'll discover yet another line of cans. And these are much more in line with what I'd expect from the guitar maker. In fact, the inspiration comes from the Les Paul: an iconic guitar that debuted in the '50s and named for the musician who first endorsed it. It's still a popular choice for pickers. Later this year, Gibson will equip Les Paul owners and admirers with a new series of headphones that get their aesthetics from the design of the classic axe. Just like the guitar, there will be a range of choices, including Standard (over-ear) and SG (on-ear) models that pack regular, Lightning and wireless connectivity. Slideshow-258050

It seems Audi's Q7 is brand agnostic, at least in the Android vs. Apple battle: It hasn't yet chosen between Android Auto or CarPlay. The demos at CES this week are set shoulder to shoulder with Audi's HMI (Human Machine Interface) connected to either an Android device or an iPhone. Using the MMI knob -- if you've been in an Audi before -- is as intuitive as you remember, but instead of navigating through the factory system, you're now going to be using your phone interface. Once you've selected either CarPlay or Android Auto from the main menu, the phone's interface takes over. The steering wheel includes a button to activate Siri or Google Now for voice input and the wheel will scroll you through either system's menus. No surprises here as far as functionality, but the fact that the carmaker began to support both almost as quickly as heavyweights like Pioneer is an impressive feat. Look for this in Audi cars starting with the 2016 Q7 when it starts hitting showrooms this year. We look forward to couples everywhere finally settling the "Apple is better/Android is better in a car" question once and far all. Slideshow-257774

It takes you less than 30 seconds sitting on top of Activetainment's Ebove B\01 smart bike before you start wishing you could own one. Sure, there are plenty of static exercise bikes that let you follow a trail with the benefit of a tablet strapped on top. There are a lot fewer bikes that are set up on a gimbal that lifts up when you crest a hill and dips down when you hit the opposite side. When you factor in the fact that the bike has working gears and the effort you make represents the distance you travel, it's the closest thing we've seen to trail biking that doesn't involve getting muddy. Slideshow-257809

Messaging services like WhatsApp have slowly been trickling onto our extremities via Android Wear for what feels like ages now, so is it really any surprise that BlackBerry's getting in on the action now too? At a press breakfast earlier this morning, the company took a few moments to highlight its tentative plan to bring BBM to Google's wearables. Even in its unfinished state, the whole shebang works just the way you'd expect it to: You'll be able to view and accept friend invites right from your wrist, and speak your responses aloud for Google's machine brains to render into text. And the ETA for BBM's touchdown on your watch? BlackBerry's Jeff Gadway says you'll be able to nab it sometime in "early 2015," so you'd better make sure your contacts are in order. Just in case you're itching to see the early concept in action, go ahead a take a peek after the break -- you won't regret it.

LG debuted its Music Flow series of wireless speakers last summer, offering a range of speakers targeted squarely at competitor Sonos' products. More recently, it moved away from aping Sonos with the H4 Portable, a battery-powered speaker that acts just like its larger siblings. At CES 2015, we took a closer look (and listen) at the whole Music Flow family.

The way Music Flow works is a hybrid of Sonos and a traditional Bluetooth or NFC speaker. You can pair speakers with a phone via NFC and dedicated apps for iOS and Android, or you can control them directly over a WiFi connection. They speak with one another over WiFi, but need a hub to do so -- a requirement Sonos recently dropped.Slideshow-257759

It's eight-thirty in the morning. I'm sitting in a hotel suite in Las Vegas. My colleague Dan Cooper is sitting next to me in near silence. Both of us are in the same room, with the same silence, but we're feeling very different things. I have an intense, yet not uncomfortable "tight" sensation on my right temple. Dan is looking very lethargic. I'm riding the ridge between uneasy and buzzing. Two neuroscientists are also in the room. Dan and I are holding phones, with an app. His subdued state, and my alertness aren't a result of too much/too little coffee. We're self-administering these sensations through the app. This is Thync, a wearable device that uses neurosignaling to shift your mood. It's working.

If you've been looking to give cable the boot, Dish's announcement of a $20-a-month service that brings you TV channels over the internet may be the most exciting news of CES. Sling TV doesn't quite have the robust network lineup as Comcast, Time Warner and others, but big names like ESPN, CNN, TNT, TBS, Food Network have signed on. What's more, the subscription includes a movie rental feature, and it'll be available on a handful of smart TVs, Roku players, Amazon Fire TV (and Fire Stick), Xbox One, Nexus Player, Android TV and both Android and iOS mobile platforms when it arrives later this year. That means that if you're already itching to opt in, it won't be too difficult to find a compatible device. Read on for a quick walkthrough of the interface, and for all the details, consult more of our Sling TV coverage.

It takes a special kind of crazy to show up to the biggest consumer electronics show on Earth, to pay for an exhibition space next to Oculus VR and then advertise your product as an "Oculus killer." That's exactly what 3DHead did with its "GCS3" headset. That phrase is even painted on their booth, as seen above.

Given all that, you're probably pretty interested in seeing the company's headset, right? It's probably super sleek, right? Forgive me, but you absolutely have to head below to see this madness. I assure you, you won't regret it.

When Samsung announced a trio of audio products ahead of CES, the two egg-shaped speakers immediately grabbed my eye. Obviously, these don't look like regular in-home gear, and while Bang & Olufsen has been making said audio tech more decorative for quite some time, an affordable entry would certainly be welcome. As a part of that oval design, the WAM7500 and WAM6500 have so-called Ring Radiator technology that blasts sound in 360 degrees, rather than a single direction. If you're familiar with the compact UE Boom or Megaboom, this concept is similar. While that latter model is an on-shelf option, the former is meant to be used with a stand, or more awesomely, hung from the ceiling like a light fixture. Keeping with the home accent theme, Samsung is showing off not only black and white versions, but also wood and metallic models.

It might sound odd that a guitar maker is getting into fitness headphones, however Gibson falls under the same corporate umbrella as Philips, Onkyo and other personal audio brands. That being said, it's still a bit strange to see the iconic guitar brand stamped on a pair of on-ears. I was curious enough to give them a shot, and in the process, discovered there was much more to the Usain Bolt-endorsed Trainer headphones than the initial announcement let on. Those are indeed onboard controls on the right earpad, and they sort not only play/pause and skip functions, but also toggle on/off a feature that dampens the sound so you can hear what's going on around you. You can use it to converse with a workout pal, and it's also sure to come in handy when you're coming up on a busy intersection. Slideshow-257740

CES 2015 does not lack for connected devices. Lightbulbs, beds, socks... seriously, everything is a connected device at CES. But, let's be honest with ourselves: These are luxury goods for people with disposable income. BabyBe is using Intel's connected-device platform Edison to actually better the lives of people, specifically premature babies and their mothers. The most important component is the "Cradle," a pad embedded with air bladders and heating elements, sheathed in a medically safe polyurethane. It's soft and a little odd-feeling. It's supposed to mimic the density and texture of human skin, but kind of ends up falling into uncanny valley territory. The air sacks inside mimic the heartbeat and chest movement of the mother, who can't hold her fragile, premature child.Slideshow-257742

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Wed, 07 Jan 2015 17:51:00 -050021|21126414http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/07/makerbot-3d-printing-wood-metal-stone/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/07/makerbot-3d-printing-wood-metal-stone/http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/07/makerbot-3d-printing-wood-metal-stone/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23commentsThe future of 3D printing may depend on the ability print things with properties beyond cheap plastic. We've seen composite materials appear for 3D printers before, but the arrival of MakerBot to the scene should make progress a bit quicker. Announced at this week's CES, MakerBot will be rolling out new composite filaments that have been chemically bonded with new materials. You'll have to wait until late 2015, but it's probably going to be worth it: Maplewood, limestone, iron and bronze PLA composites are coming. And in real life, they look and feel far more impressive than you might think. Slideshow-257748

For the last couple of years, medical science has been working on a way to build health sensors into stickers for better patient monitoring. It looks as if the folks behind AmpStrip might have gotten there first. AmpStrip is a piece of wearable technology that sticks onto your chest (we're told that the ideal location is below your nipple) and monitors your vitals without needing any other of the numerous fitness products we've seen on the market.Slideshow-257738

QNX has become something of a staple for us here at CES, wowing us each time with new and more compelling auto gear packed inside the finest cars. This year's no different, as QNX has shown up with a flat blue Maserati Quattroporte GTS that has received a complete technological overhaul. What's most impressive to us is that the rearview and side mirrors have been completely gutted and replaced with cameras and displays as part of its ADAS (advance driver assistance systems) demonstration. Unlike typical car mirrors, the cameras on the QNX car are able to easily reposition when reversing, for example, offering you a safer view.Slideshow-257703

Fitness and activity trackers come in many shapes and sizes. Some you wear on your wrist; others you stick in your ears; and some you clip onto your belt. Emotia's prototype activity tracker actually is a belt; or more specifically, a belt buckle called Belty. As you'd expect, it measures steps like every other tracker, and connects to your phone via Bluetooth to feed this data into an app, which acts as a virtual fitness coach. You can also set it to vibrate when you've been sedentary for too long and, more importantly, it can keep tabs on your changing waist measurement, which can be a good indicator of your risk of developing weight-related conditions. What I've described so far is all well and good, but forget that, because this belt buckle is also motorized, and capable of tightening and loosening itself to keep you as comfortable as possible at all times.Slideshow-257668

What happens when a company that makes old-fashioned spectacles attempts smartglasses? You get something like Meme, from Japanese glasses maker JINS. Still in prototype stage, and courting developers, the glasses will go on sale early this year for around $800 (correction: JINS expects the glasses to arrive priced somewhere far more reasonable: apparently that's the point). However, let's get out of the way what Meme doesn't do. There's no scree; there are no cameras. There's no voice activation or commands. But when I put them on, they feel like... glasses. And after testing some (if not all) of the other smartglasses, it was a relief. Is less more? JINS is hoping so.Slideshow-257685

The first flagship phone from Saygus in five years isn't very subtle. Its specs read like every gadget geek's wish list: support for up to 256GB of storage, a 21-megapixel rear camera paired with a 13MP front shooter, stereo Harman Kardon front speakers and insanely fast 60Ghz WiFi before it hits other phones. But there's something to admire in the Saygus V2's (technically, "V squared") excess. It's a phone that's meant specifically for hardware geeks, not everyday buyers. And it's those geeks who probably remember the Vphone, the last device from Saygus that was one of the first hyped-up Android phones, but which ultimately ended up as vaporware. The company may be alive, but it still has a lot to prove with the V2.Slideshow-257548